If you have recently been in a car accident, you may have been stuck with some serious medical expenses and bills.
Before we go deep into the ways to lower your medical expenses after an accident, we want to urge you to talk to an attorney if you are reading this and have been injured in an accident.
In most cases, your personal injury attorney doubles as your trained negotiator to get your bills reduced as low as possible so you can keep as much settlement money in your pocket as possible.
Typically, people don’t really plan to ever get in a car accident, let alone estimate what injuries may ensue or how much medical expenses might total. Car accidents are usually unexpected incidents and we don’t really have the chance to plan for specifics when they happen to us.
In some cases, medical attention may be immediately necessary and you may not have an attorney, a good case, or even the opportunity to shop around for lower costs. In addition to that, you may not know how much our procedures cost until after the fact!
So how do you avoid the scary unknown and lower your medical expenses after an accident?
We have 5 tips to lowering your medical expenses after an accident detailed below!
1 .shop around and ask questions
Depending on your injuries and recommended treatment, you may be able to shop around for better rates or different treatment options altogether that could lower your costs.
We do encourage you to speak with medical professionals regarding your treatment options, however, in less serious cases you can take it upon yourself to do a bit of research to make more informed decisions on how you would like to proceed with your treatment. Ask your physician if the treatment options are medically necessary before making any decisions.
However, it is important to note that good medical care is necessary to have a good recovery and we would not recommend choosing a doctor solely on the basis of having cheaper services.
2. Understand your bill and check for errors
Knowing exactly what it is that you’re paying for is important. People make mistakes, even medical billers! So it is important that you understand your bill and ensure that it is correct. Your personal injury attorney should also be able to help you with this.
Always ask for an itemized bill to help break it down for you to easily digest. The itemized breakdown can be easier to compare with your insurance documentation. And know that you can always reach back out to the administrators at the medical offices for further clarification. Your attorney should always be making sure you are in good hands and not being overcharged.
At the end of the case when it is time to pay out the doctors for your treatment, your attorney should also make sure that all bills are accurate.
3. negotiate negotiate negotiate
Knowing that prices are negotiable to some extent is really helpful when attempting to lower medical bills. If anything, it should give you some piece of mind.
And by having an itemized bill, you can pinpoint specific items that are more eligible for negotiation than the entire bill itself.
Visit helpful resources to better understand pricing and educate yourself before attempting to lower your bill. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to logically negotiate your bill.
Although we suggest that keeping your own records of your bills is important and a good practice, your personal injury attorney will take care of all negotiating of the bills for you and come to a reasonable resolution for all parties involved.
Having a solid and experienced personal injury attorney on your side is an extremely powerful tool to saving you money and keeping more money in your pocket at the end of the case. Not only do some medical providers need negotiating with, but so do the insurance companies who are paying out the settlements.
Our personal injury lawyers at Pipas Law are highly skilled and experienced negotiators when it comes to dealing with these types of cases. Our main goal is to put as much money in your pocket as possible while keeping your medical providers paid and happy.
4. Ask about Pricing options & payment plans
For most personal injury cases, doctors will work on a Letter of Protection (LOP) which is essentially a lien and contract that the law office of your attorney will pay out the doctor’s office for your treatment after the case has closed. This means that in most cases all of your medical treatment will be fronted and billed with the expectation to be paid by your personal injury attorney’s office once the case has been funded.
However if you’ve been injured in an accident and are not entitled to settlement (maybe the accident was your fault or maybe there was no money available or no insurance involved) then keep reading for your next steps.
After making sure that your bill is as low as you can manage, you can ask your doctor’s office if they have different options for payment plans or pricing.
First, check if your health insurance can help you. If not, paying in cash can sometimes reduce your bill significantly.
If paying cash is not an option for you financially, there are still alternatives. Most large hospitals offer programs similar to educational financial aid called Charity Care programs. These programs can help you pay back your medical bills with payment plan options.
5. Hire an Attorney
If you’re still having issues lowering the cost of your medical bills and have not yet spoken with an attorney, do not waste anymore of your time and money and reach out and speak to an attorney today. Decide what attorney will be the best fit for you with your best interest and mind and let them do they heavy lifting for you.
A knowledgeable personal injury attorney can help you navigate working with your insurance company to ensure you’re being compensated fairly. It is our job description.
If you have specific questions about reducing your medical expenses as a result of a car accident, we encourage you to reach out to one of our licensed and experienced personal injury attorneys today.
Call The Attorneys at Pipas Law Now: 727-888-3925
